Ultrasonic transmission devices are well known for use in a variety of applications, such as in surgical operations and procedures. These transmission devices usually include a transducer that converts electrical energy into vibrational motion at ultrasonic frequencies. The vibrational motion is transmitted to vibrate a distal end of a transmission component, such as a working member. The working member may be utilized to slice, emulsify, cut, dissect, and cauterize tissue or material.
In certain surgical procedures, it is often necessary to break-up or disintegrate undesired tissue, such as tumors and plaque, within a patient's body. However, when the undesired tissue is relatively hard and dense, conventional ultrasonic devices are usually inefficient for disintegrating or breaking-up the undesired tissue into relatively small pieces. In particular, these conventional ultrasonic devices usually do not produce sufficient cavitation or micro-currents in the fluid around the distal end of the working member to break-up the undesired tissue. As a result, it can be quite difficult to remove the undesired tissues through a small lumen of a surgical instrument. In addition, a surgeon may have to alternate between surgical instruments to break-up and disintegrate tissue.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and devices that utilize ultrasonic vibration to efficiently disintegrate and break-up undesired tissue within a patient. It would also be desirable to allow a surgeon to perform various functions or tasks with the use of a single ultrasonic device.